Oxygen in the ocean is gradually disappearing

No you don't get it either. We're not talking about the oxygen that's part of water. We're talking about the gaseous oxygen that's dissolved in water. Big difference.

@Ethil: as good as that sounds that's unlikely to pass. What other source is there? We don't have 50 years to discover something new. We need it in 10 since we'll also need time to develop a whole new infrastructure around it.

A better idea is to find a way to soften the crash and buy us some time to develop these new technologies. As it stands none of the new technologies cant feed our needs.

Synthetic oil plants such as shale to oil or coal to oil plants to soften the crash and from an American perspective help us reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

At the same time we need to be furiously building up nuclear plants along with wind farms and solar farms. Nukes first as we know how to implement them into the grid. Then slowly add on the green energy.

While we are doing this we need to revamp the grid to be more efficient. The current mess of lines is just too cluttered and unorganized.

From there we need to fill out the technology for commercial and private vehicles. The reason for this being last is the shale/coal to oil refineries will produce oil after they are no longer needed to produce energy. Thus the oil can be used to power out vehicles while the market decides which alternative energy system they wish to use.

In a nutshell, transfer demand from coal plants to nuclear plants. Use the coal to produce synthetic oil. The goal is to mimic France with it's energy facilities. Once the transfer is beyond a certain point we can move the synthetic oil to the hands of private citizens. If production can meet demand then we have bought ourselves some time to develop the other technologies and build the infrastructure.

The big problem is that this country is run by the leaders of fossil fuel companies. The lobbyists buy senators to put barriers in the way of new ideas.
This could be solved if corruption wasn't so goddamn cheap in this country, but that's an issue for another time.

We haven't been able to fully think out alternatives. The US has the largest natural gas reserves of the free world--but it doesn't fuel our cars, heat our homes, or even leave it's place of origin. It's just been left out to dry,

Your from America, right? Im asking because you said this country, and Im wondering where that is to you.

Either way, corruption runs rampant in EVERY society. Not just one country or one region, corruption is everywhere. Its even in the churches! Nothing can be solved by trying to fix corruption, because it cant be fixed.

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Oh there are many. Mainly one worth focusing on; electricity. Focus on developing better power plants and cars etc that can utilize electricity better.

Nuclear is another option for things that need a energy source with more impact than plain electricity. Not as good, as it is also a non-renewable source, but it'll hold of a while, time used to come up with other options.

Meh, I'm to tired to go into detail of what I'm thinking right now, just got home from work and are now going to sleep.

No it isn't. Heath care, agriculture, manufacturing, Medication, Chemicals - these industries are all more powerful and larger than fossil fuel let alone oil companies.

Don't think oil companies are the cause of the problem. You can argue they are trying to corrupt or have caused corruption - but you'll have to blame all these other industries as well since they have just as much or more political clout.

I say just one thing; the Iraqi war invasion was not for the purpose of stealing their medicine or their farms.

Nope, it was because the president of the usa surronded himself with yes men who said "yes sir, saddam hussien is in league with the Legion of Doom and the Grinch and are plotting to destroy Christmas just like you thought."

Dudes, part of my job is logistics in the military. I see what we pay these chumps in money and food for their oil. We got a better deal under Saddam Hussein then we are now. Anyone look back at the 70s oil crisis? What ended it? Saddam Hussein selling us cheap oil right? What happened after we invaded the first time? Saddam Hussein raised prices, but said "I'll still sell to you cheaper then those other guys!"

Economics is the most powerful force in the world that not even standing armies can content with. We wouldn't waste a good deal for a gamble on a better one by going to war unless we had a DAMN good reason too. All the king's horses and all the king's men foolishly thought they did because you don't say no to a president with a 90% approval rating.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the problem is a lot graver than that. Electricity - as it is - is very dependent on fossil sources (coil, oil, gas), but instead nitpicking you to death I suggest a very good reading:
Sustainable Energy – without the hot air

It is a realistic look at renewable energy, it comes to the conclusion that things *could and should* be done, however it also admits that we don't yet have a long term solution just midterm actions that could buy us more time.

Nuclear energy is yet yet portable enough for public use - or the public can't be trusted with it. We'll have beta isotope sources in a while, but they're not powerful enough for industrial purposes only telecom & IT. (They're about as powerful as our current Li-ion batteries and can run for decades).

...however I'm a big proponent of nuclear energy as a whole as right now we're really cavalier about it. Most of the "spent" nuclear fuel in our current "once through" cycle could be still used if reprocessed, and even depleted uranium can be used if placed into a so called breeder reactor. (This isn't sci-fi or even proposed technology. We already had and operated such power plants). Thorium another non-fissionable but fertile material (like depleted uranium) could also be used in these reactors and we have massive untapped Thorium reserves.



I have to both agree and disagree with you: America - "we the people" - had a better deal under Saddam. However the plutocracy that runs your country (the sum of the corporate world) got a better deal out of the Invasion than you think.

Look up what sort of government subsidies, massive paychecks they get from the whole deal. (Let's not go into over Haliburton). Also look at the laws in Iraq. They're an outrage and the dream of any exec who wants to make some quick buck and damn the consequences. Did you know that any upstart company in Iraq has to have an American partner who can then siphon off the profits from the country?

The American people have to pay a lot more for their oil than they did, even the oil companies only get a slightly better deal. However the public was also forced to pay for the whole endeavor while execs like Neutron Jack (of the Intel fame who fired tens of thousands of people leaving only barren buildings, hence the nickname) are profiteering off the lot of you.